1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shower bar assemblies and more particularly to a kit for mounting a shower bar in a shower stall to expand the usable space within a shower stall in a secure manner.
2. Background of the Related Art
In the construction of most bathrooms, it is common to position a shower nozzle mounted on the wall at an enclosure above a bath tub to thereby provide the option of a shower for the resident using the bathroom facility. In defining such enclosures, splashing water out of the enclosure is limited by the use of a sliding door, typically a translucent plastic or shatter proof glass, or more conveniently, a shower curtain supported by a shower bar or rod. The shower curtain is ordinarily constructed and arranged to drape loosely from a set of eyelets or curtain rings, which slide along the shower bar. A set of such rings is normally mounted slidably on the shower bar, which is positioned normally at the height of the sprinkler head or other nozzle. The shower curtain is draped in the bath tub below so that water is not splashed out of the bath tub. Because the bath tub is below the shower nozzle, the bath tub functions to collect water which drains from the bath tub during the shower.
However, it is also desirable in the art to create a shower bar or rod that expands the usable area inside the shower stall. For oval and other differently-shaped bath tubs, prior art inventors have created shower bars having different shapes, such as arcs or having S-shaped curves in them, not only to capture shower spray, but also to ensure that the resident user is not crowded by the closeness of the shower curtain. Not only does this feature prevent the resident user from feeling claustrophobic in the shower, but it also gives them a larger degree of freedom of movement within the shower stall proper. However, creating a shower bar that is other than a straight bar creates its own new problems. In particular, the bar cannot be allowed to rotate within its mounting brackets or the desired expanded area would be compressed and water from the shower spray may exit the enclosure creating an undesirable mess. U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,287, issued to Wise, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,104, issued to Miller, are two prior art examples that have attempted to solve these problems.
The '287 patent discloses a shower curtain rod having two end portions with angled fittings to enable the shower curtain rod to be attached between a pair of parallel walls at a bath tub enclosure or shower stall. The '287 shower curtain rod is constructed with a central portion curving to follow the edge or profile of an oval or elliptical bath tub. This curving central portion enables the shower curtain to hang into the bath tub. Because the fittings are angled and the shower bar itself is curved, the shower curtain rod is kept in a fixed rotational position.
The '104 patent discloses a shower curtain support that has a shower curtain rod mounted by opposing wall brackets on parallel end walls of a shower stall. The rod has S-shaped ends to expand the useable space within the shower stall and slidably suspends a conventional shower curtain across the front opening of the shower stall. “Spiders” on the terminal ends of the rod are indexably received by “spider plates” of the wall brackets to dispose the rod in a number of radial orientations relative to the wall brackets, and are referred to as “spider means.” Because the “spiders” interlock with the “spider plates,” the rod is kept in a fixed rotational position.
Although both the '287 and '104 patents present solutions to the aforementioned problems of expanding the usable space within a shower stall and also holding the shower bar in a fixed rotational plane, it is believed that there is still a need in the industry for yet another means for mounting a shower bar within a shower stall or bath tub enclosure that solves these problems.
Additionally, there is a perceived need for a shower bar assembly that can be installed easily by homeowners. In particular, because many homeowners maintain their own households, they require a shower bar assembly that can be installed with few or only basic tools and with minimal skill.